To breathe. To live. To love. To survive. To enjoy.
Stress is not a friend. It causes more harm than good.
From experience I speak. It has given me rashes that only leaves when stress factor is lifted
If we do not spare time to be alive, we will not have that opportunity after we die.
Spare some time
To dance. To be loved. To sing. To be alive
TIME
Is used to create memories.
Even though it waits for no one
I have come to learn very slowly, that it is my choice to create certain memories I want and that has meant going on adventures I would not have thought on going on.
Adventurous Dora
I have felt gradual fulfillment with my new trail. Not the usual pattern but it has not been bad trying.
Time is jealous but we determine what we do with it.
Spare time
To rest. To play. To create. To build
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.(KJV)
WHILE WE LIVE
Let’s be alive.
Truth be told, it is getting difficult to be cheerful and optimistic. Sometimes, I intentionally black out current affairs from my thought, so I don’t dwell on it.
However, I am trying to chose life everyday even when it does not feel like it.
Ecclesiates 5:18- 20 Behold, here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun during the few days of his life which God gives him—for this is his [allotted] reward. Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, He has also given the power and ability to enjoy them and to receive [this as] his [allotted] portion and to rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God [to him]. For he will not often consider the [troubled] days of his life, because God keeps him occupied and focused on the joy of his heart [and the tranquility of God indwells him].
This has become one of my most used in-house questions.
It started when I was in the boarding house and with time, it has become well used by me when I am sharing a space with others.
I love asking because: It is my way of checking on your stomach. It is my way of knowing how much food is left to either package or consume. It is my way of knowing if I have to prepare more food. It is my way of showing love through food. I see it as a caring responsibility.
I often obey a hidden rule which I gave myself (I cannot remember the origin): “Eat last when you cook”.
I see the role of a cook as being a sacrificial yet powerful position.
You control what enters the pot and how others get to eat yet you have to lay aside your authority over the food to let others have a satisfactory experience.
Did I go too far?
Food which is one of man’s basic needs cannot be overlooked to avoid damaging health conditions. Food and water are two main neccessities needed by the human body to survive.
When we deny the human body of food and water for unnecesarily long period of hours, you put the body at risk.
This sounds like a repeat
Denying a human food is denying them a right to live and survive.
When next someone cares about your stomach, that may be a sign that they love you.
Not scientifically proven though
NOT A SINGLE NICK OF TIME
I cannot remember at what age I became extra sensitive of my time but I am very conscious of my time and even for days I was super sluggish, I tried to compensate with reasonable activities.
For example today
If I spent my day on little meaningful activities then my night will compensate. This is my way of making sure I end the day with something relevant to reflect on.
Even for the time I may have spent in my slugishness, I make sure to learn something in those moments that I could add to a blog, vlog, podcast or a book.
For example today, despite the sluggishness, I was able to gather thoughts to emphasize on in the book I hope to share soon and in another I hope to start soon
The downside is: I could do more.
For example: Today, I would have done a vlog and a podcastwhich I did not.
I love to be useful with my time. I love the sense of accomplishment knowing I used my time well.
TIME WILL TELL
Who is true and who isn’t.
What is real and what isn’t.
What will last and what won’t.
Who will leave and who will stay.
Time will tell and it does not need our permission.
I have a diary.
I have kept many for the last 7 years and it has been quite therapeitic and informative and refreshing to go over them but recently, I have been having a hard time keeping up with the current one despite the several interesting activities I have been engaged in.
I will still cover up for the days missed
Writing important things down makes a lot of difference and even if you are not a diary person, I will encourage you to record important moments in your life.
Habakkuk 2:2-3 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. (KJV)
You will need a reminder one day. I pray you get it when you need it
NOW TO YOU
Is food a love language for you?
Are you a sacrificial cook?
How do you show concern?
Do you keep a diary?
Are you a slacker or a worker? (If you were to choose work or slack, which would you choose?)
What makes your day feel fullfilled?
CONCLUSION
I thought I would share some of the details of what I spent my time on but on a second thought I changed my mind (let me leave that for future books).
Today, I discovered somebody uses my hashtag as their instagram handle (I should have done more research). Anyway, since I only use it as a hashtag on this blog, I’ll leave it that way.
Disclaimers:
Adverts are not placed by me.
I make sure to correct grammatical errors but if you notice any, kindly let me know in the comment section.
For the times I made any series, I knew it was going to be a long ride, no matter how short the days. This series is not any different but I trust God for strength to finish.
I am grateful that every topic I share with you is not abstract in experience but one I am currently dealing with and with which God desires to use to bless anyone who reads.
With that being said, let’s go into today’s post.
Hope Deferred
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. (KJV)
Have you waited for something for a very long time?
I will say that it can get frustrating and then hopeless to wait for something for too long.
At first, you exercise some faith then as time stretches you start getting tired, and as time lapses, frustration sets in.
It is easy to read the story of Abraham and Sarah and feel estastic about the themes of faith they expressed but in reality as we experience similar situations, it is super tough what they went through.
They went through a nerve wrecking experience. It was tough and chaotic.
At this moment, I can understand a bit of the phrase ‘Sarah laughed’
That laughter was one riddled with frustration, hopelessness, tiredness and apathy. The old woman had resigned from whatever interest she used to have regarding childbearing.
Genesis 18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? (KJV)
Our hope for something can get so frustrated that we even stop hoping.
…hope deferred makes the heart sick…..
Exercising faith takes courage especially when there are daily doses of doubt in your face and when expectations keep waning, sometims even faith wanes with it.
When we hope for things and make all the necessary preparations to await the result, it is emotionally, mentally and physically draining not to get them at the expected time frame.
When we wait too long, sometimes we even lose the interest in what we wait for.
Obstacles
These are the obstructions to what we hope for.
They can come in the form of people, projects, jobs, professional examinations etc
They can come in different forms but the common characteristic is that it slows down the process.
Going back to Abraham. He faced obstacles in the form of impatience as Sarah his wife offered Hagar. Then came Lot his nephew whose herds caused commotion until they had to seperate. He later had to still save this nephew when the cities he lived in got invaded and he was captured. (Genesis 14)
Then another obstacle came in the form of the challenge of Abraham’s love for Isaac, which Abraham was able to overcome. (Genesis 22)
The bigger the outcome, the more the obstacle
O. R. A
We face obstacles and sometimes they are quite overwhelming to the point that we wonder if we still have faith.
Sometimes, we are actually hanging by a thread and the suppport of godly people around us, however if we do not get stronger reinforcements, we may concede to the threats of the obstacles.
Fulfillment
This is the sense of accomplishment.
It is the satisfactory sigh you make after eating a delicious meal to your fill.
It is a place of satisfaction.
When we work towards a goal and it works out as we hoped for, we feel fulfilled. Whether it lasts or not, for that moment we are in we are satisfied with the outcomes. We can decide to pursure extra things later.
Fulfillment occurs in stages depending on where you currently are, however the sense of fulfillment keeps changing with progress in life.
What used to make us fulfilled in the past may not make us fulfilled afterwards. You already accomplished the past, you are now concerned with the future and for that you are only focused on accomplishing another phase.
The sense of fulfillment is dependent on what you are hoping for, once that desire is fulfilled you may search for another.
God’s expectation
God has expectations for us and it is wrapped up in His will for our individual lives. To discover what God’s will is, is to discover who God is to us.
We cannot find God’s will outside of God. It has to be in God.
Our purpose is wrapped up in God’s will and when we discover it we experience the fulfillment that comes with being there.
Many things may not make sense but we expereince fulfillment regardless.
God prepares beforehand
I recently understood certain states in my life.
God gives me an unexplainable peace before a turbulent situation, so that when I find myself in the place I already have peace to carry me through even if my environmment tells me otherwise.
Hence, I am beginning to observe the senses before events happen.
I see God preparing me beforehand.
So even in waiting and hoping, I am observing God’s unsettling peace regardless of what my external state may be experiencing, that peace just calms me down.
I may want to feel frustrated and even hopeless, but I have God’s peace which balances out my external frustrations.
God prepares us beforehand only if we would observe.
God will do it
God will do it.
We hope in faith (which is active) and trust God they happen at the right time.
Prayer
LORD, thank you for today. Thank you for my life. Thank you for the wonderful plans you have for me.Thank you for the wonderful dreams and aspirations I have. LORD, I have expectations. I hope for many things. I wait for things to happen to me, good things. However, help me to keep trusting and waiting for the time they will be reality. You have done it before. I won before and I will win again. If my expectations take too long, give me the wisdom to know what to do. If my expectations are far from your expectations for me, help me to see what I should see and know what I should know. Help me to know what you expect of me even at this moment. Help me LORD to know your will and to be in it. Help me to trust you at all times in Jeusus name I pray. Amen
Conclusion
I started typing this post quite early but lost some parts along the line due to internet interruptions. My day was actively filled with today’s theme and I felt discouraged from typing. However, I type knowing that God will bless anyone who reads and I am grateful for the opportunity to share.
Day 2 was meant for Day 3 and Day 3 amplifies Day 2.
My hands are freezing and no I am not in Antartica, I am in Tropical Africa. It is harmattan. It is really cold.
This post is a very dear one because I struggle so badly with it.
The previous post was on Late Coming and this topic flows in the same stream…..
The problem
The problem with procrastination is multifactorial.
It starts with a reasonable reason before it accumulates into a syndrome.
It is attached to emotions that are too much to handle.
Procastination is emotional before it becomes habitual.
Emotions such as:
Fear
Doubt
Insecurity
Laziness
Tiredness
Anxiety
Perfectionism
Distractions
I have tried to mention them😌
These emotions and tendencies accumulate in different ratios producing the final result of inactivity.
Sometimes the procastinator did right by procastinating.
Why? How?
They may get a better deal
But from experience, it is rarely favourable.
Consequences
Losing out big time.
Losing money, opportunities, progress, activities, productivity, time, relationships, results.
I admire those that have built the resilence to always do things at the moment they have to do it.
I am a fluid person, and that has affected my activities in multiple ways. It has slowed me down multiple times.
I once wrote a series in 2018 titled ‘NOT FOR THE FAINTED HEARTED’ and in the articles I made invisible resolutions to be less procastinating.
I did fulfill them
After multiple struggles with procastination.
I still struggle
It is still a time problem
Enough time
Time is still the problem.
There are still lies resounding in the head saying ‘there is still time’, ‘there is still a perfect time’, ‘I am not ready at this time’, ‘right now, I do not have everything’
All these lies recycle and not long after, the victim is doing something less rewarding.
A pile of nothing
Another factor is loving the comfort zone.
I love comfort zone. I love to convert wherever I am to a comfort zone, to a replica of where I stay. I love to have a trademark of my presence and once I do that, it becomes hard to move, just like a cat(meow)
I love doing things from a particular place and anything that would cause me to meet a lot of people, see faces, talk too much is already draining. These are mental reasons I have to overcome before stepping out and that is the catalyst for my habitual procastinating.
Sensible?
Not a lot….
Getting things done is vital to productivity and progress, especially things you have to do yourself
cage the monkey…..
Dealing with the problem
Deal with the reason you procastinate
Deal with the emotion
Give yourself a time frame
You have today to do it. You may not have tommorrow
o.R.a
Someone is doing that which you are procastinating to do
O.R.A
If you do it today, you can do something else tommorrow.
Today
Deal with the distraction, remember there is time for everything (talking to me)
Say no😅😅
Truth is that dealing with a habit takes time, and sometimes you need a spur to get a better.
I have been getting spured to do better.
My mother is one true example of a do-it-now person. She never procastinates, I got her genes but I also have to get some of her habits😅😅
Another truth is that, a lot of creatives procastinate because they are always flooded (in their mind), and I am victim of this too. This situation can be dealt by making a list and sticking to it. Create a plan and tick.
The above is one of the process I go through to overcome the cold feet.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
King james version
Ecclesiastes 11:6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or wether both alike be good
King james version
What you do?
I still have projects I carried over from previous years and I am full of hope that I would share them this year.
Before you start reading this post, check if your watch is working because I cannot understand those people who wear broken watches. When you ask them for the time, they will smile akwardly and say “Sari, it doughsnt werk”
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
To make sure you are not in a time ship, make sure the date is 2020.
If it isn’t, please let us know what year you are in and why you are there..
We await your response
If your watch is broken….
What is time?🕧
Time is a number thing that somebody put together and cajoled the world to start using.
They were using sunsets and sunrises (forgive me😂😂) then they switched to sands in glass bottles before they decided to switch to numbers in a container🙄
Time does not have a definition. It is just time.
Did I answer the question?
Who created time?🕐
As a beliver, my response is God.
Humans started measuring it with instruments.
Now you can say “You are late!” “You are early!” “You are almost early!” “You are almost late”
God is not limited by time. Time is just a variable that exists
O.r.a
There is time for everything🕞
Ecclesiates 3
This chapter of the bible is renowned for talking about time. I will encourage you to read it. It makes a lot of sense.
I will not add more. The heading is self explanatory
Wait for me!!🕦
Shouts someone who is swimming late (who says running is the only suitable action to chose?😏👞)
The girl smacks her lips, making sure the lipstick goes round only to peep at her clock and realize she has 10 minutes to get into the class, and it would take her 8 minutes to get there..
Or the boy that lazily opens his eyes, 5 minutes to the lectures and he has not yet taken his bath😂😂😂😂😂
The older teachers that have taught me for 6 years are very time conscious, they are consistently early to their classes. They rarely miss it.
My parents are so time conscious that it can get annoying sometimes😂😂😂😂
Me? Let me tell you later…
Heheheh
I am coming…..🕟
Says the joker boy or girl who has not left their houses but are lying that they are in the transport vehicle
God is watching you
There are people when you hear these words from, you already know that it means you will wait for the infinix stones to become yours especially as you cannot fight Thanos😷
Like they will not do it again
So you either forget or wait….
The late habit🕣
God is always on time, humans are not
O.r.a
Lateness is a habit. It can be cultivated and encouraged.
I love being early for occasions because it gives me the opportunity to scan the environment and settle down.
But….
I realized that when I ignore the trend of lateness in one week, it spills into the next week. If I do not correct the trend then I would continously go late for that specific activity.
And if you are like me, who does not rush and makes sure you do your normal routine before leaving then going late can be a big nuisance to maintaing your routine in the order it is supposed to be.
No matter how late I am, I always do my routines. It only leaves me uncomfortable because I am conscious of how late I am.
The africaN time thing🕡
There is something called AfricanTime
It exists on this principle: Come more than an hour late.
It is as chronic as the amount of late time the area agree invisbly in their minds.
Once there is an occasion, an extra hour and more is added to the original time.
It is alien when time is on the dot. It catches people by surprise😂😂
It is not helathy and it is time wasting and other things are wasting such as resources and effort (money is included)
Early bird and worm🕢
Why not bread?
Why not corn?
Why not cockroach?
Maybe because worms crawl in the morning😐
An early bird drinks tea☕
Early coming is a habit⏰
My mother is so..early to literally everything😅😅
She always add an hour or two earlier to the original time.
It is habit.
Early is better🕚
It better to be early. It saves a lot of stress, money, nuisnace and body aches.
It is better to prepare without haste
Lateness breeds hasteness.
It is better to be relaxed while performing duties, you do it better.
December was quite cold and that dragged my feet so bad and I was late multiple times🤒
There are always excuses but habit beats them to it..
What are your excuses for being late?
Are you planning to be earlier?
Are you part of the African time committee?
Are you an early bird or worm?
Either one of them
Just share what your thoughts are in the comment section below..
I don’t know too. One of the most painful thing you can experience as a creative is wasted time. Every moment counts and should be accounted for, so any second that is wasted carelessly can be a big pain.
What is time to you?
Do you care about the time?
What do you use your time for?
Who do you spend your time with?
How often do you waste time?
Do you cry when you lose time?
WHY ARE YOU BUSY?🔁
Because you love your time?
Because you want to make a living?
Because you cannot help it?
Because you don’t have time?
Busy is a word used when 24hours is not enough for you to do work, so you choke other hours from other days to meet your goal.
The most recent words I have been hearing is ” I am sorry, I have beeen busy”
Busy…….
But if we are all too busy, what happens to those who need our time? Are they worth it?
WHO IS WORTH YOUR TIME?🔃
No matter how choked up you are, some people are worth your time.
No matter how busy you are, you can make time for people you value.
Who you give your time to depends on value.
WHAT IS VALUE?🔄
Value is the quality of anything. The amount of importance that a human or a non human has, and it is relative to different beings.
Quality determines how much effort and interest you are willing to offer.
It determines what you can do to show that you value that human or material……
WHO DO YOU VALUE?🔂
You will make time for who you value. No matter how busy you get, there would be time. It happens because you value that being.
We are too busy for people we do not value too much. It just happens.
When we give the excuse “I am sorry, I am so busy”, there is more to that statement.
Sometimes even when we are choked with work, we will squeeze some time to show that being that theyvare important to you. The conversations do not have to be long but a reminder is enough.
ARE YOU BUSY?🔃
Are you?
Too busy?
WHEN THEY ARE BUSY🔀
Do not be the idle one.
Do not be the one with too much time on hands.
Use your time well too.
Do not be the nagging one (I could be guilty when I am truly concerned. Afterwards, I stop)
Value yourself too.
Do not deny yourself your me-time (one of my favourite things to do)
When they are busy, too busy to reach out, reach out. If they are still too busy, let them be busy.
STILL BUSY?🔂
Thank you for being busy with reading this post. I hope you are doing time well. Recently, my time has been squeezed that the times I have wasted in the process has made me really unhappy. I never like wasting time. Every second means a lot to me and my brain does not allow me to let go.
N.B. The last part will be written in the next post, what topic you think it be?…..
I will not spend time on this because one way or the other I reference this in almost all my articles. It is so easy to waste time doing nothing, gaining noting and impacting or even creating something and that is so very sad. Most of us don’t plan our day or even have an idea of what we should be doing, we just move along and waste our time.
As usual, I also make that same mistake though I am very conscious of my time, it is so precious to me. As I was saying, for example you were engaged in something creative or worthwhile and then you get distracted with one amebo or irrelevant talk that will not better yourself or your generation. Let me not look for trouble but I will try small or even the guys that will spend their time arguing over football while the ballers are busy making millions and you are betting away your measly income (sori).
Well let me end by saying, don’t waste your time and also don’t overstress your life. Time is precious and so is your life, so if you want to argue that crazy football or chat on the trending Nollywood or Koreewood(hehehe) let it be within your frame. Don’t let a day pass that you didn’t do something creative and improving.
And as usual me from my corner am practicing the same (I do what I preach..hehehe).
Deeperlook 